"I've actually been sitting here in front of the computer for quite sometime, wondering how to sum it all up in a sentence or two...so many tangents to run off into...I guess I just leave it with...
I keep my journal online for one reason only...I want to share my ideas (a thing which Man has attempted since the beginning of consciousness)...I want to be remembered...I want something to be able to share with my unborn child.
Ok, ok, I really don't have ONE reason why I do it...Another one that comes to mind though, is the fact that too many 'diaries' out there are filled with nothing more than day to day cryings about how much one particular writer's life happens to suck...I wanted to show that there's more to writing about life than just bitching about everything...Well, that sounded good, but actually, I do tend to bitch a lot about society in general, but that's a different epic novel.
I do believe I'm going to nip this now before I end up writing a novella or two...Don't know if any of that is/was what you're looking for, but feel free to edit that down as you see fit, just PLEASE don't cut it down into something like... "I write my journal so I can take over the minds of all humans", or something like that...Wait, come to think of it...maybe that's it after all! NO, just kidding, please don't use that...I guess, more truthfully would be something like, "...so I can help 'wake-up' the minds of all humans"."
"I write an diary because it helps me sort out my thoughts by writing them down. Sometimes when I think about things it is difficult to come to a conclusion, but by having it written down, it is easier to make that conclusion. I "publish" it online as an exercise in honesty and openness I also find it very interesting and useful to get feedback about it. Reading other people's views on the decisions I am making is a real eye-opener.
It happened once (and only once) that I did something that I wasn't prepared to write down in my diary because I knew other's would read it, and I knew what they would say about it. Realising that I didn't want people to comment on something I had done, was in itself very insightful for me. I feel that the more open I can be about myself, the better I understand why I do the things I do. That helps me to lead a more fulfilling life. A sort of enlightenment through understanding. When I used to write a pen-and-paper diary, it was easy to justify things by making only reference to myself. When you publish a diary online, you quickly realise if you are being selfish. You realise that on your own, or if you don't, people write to you to tell you!!!
At the same time, since I am writing this as a confident (?), open, "out" gay boy, I hope to give others who are less secure about their sexuality, some strength. I have had much positive feedback from people who are coming to terms with their sexuality. I know how difficult that stage was for me, and knowing that somehow I am helping others, makes me feel good. In this ego-centred world, helping others who I don't know, is something that balances out the taking which I so easily do the rest of the time....."
As you can see there are many different reasons for posting personal diaries online, not just a few. I was very surprised, as I'm sure you are, at the great diversity of ideas that I received from online diarists as to why they decided to post theirs online.
Page One: People Post Online Diaries - From The People Themselves